Battle Scars
by shan14
Summary: Sea Patrol With the arrival of the new, painful memories of the past arise
1. Chapter 1

**My attempt at a little angst. Which will turn into a lot of angst...**

**Disclaimer: Don't own anything cept Zach and Emily**

* * *

Lieutenant Commander Michael Flynn stood stoically atop The Hammersley's deck, binoculars poised at the ready as he watched his team speed towards the boat bobbing ahead of them. The late afternoon swell rolled around the ship as a dark storm blew in over the horizon. The distant rumble of thunder could be heard and Mike fleetingly wondered if sending the team out was going to end in trouble. Ahead of him the RIB hit a wayward wave and angled up in the air slightly, sending a spray of water onto its wary occupants and causing Mike's heart to skip a beat. He unconsciously let out the breath he had been holding as he pondered just how rough the elements could be.

"Weather's not looking to nice" noted Nav from behind the Captain, mirroring his thoughts. She stepped into view beside him, raising her binoculars to eye the boat ahead. Mike glanced towards her small frame, hair and sleeves blowing in the wind, and nodded in agreement

"They'll be fine" he noted, confident the team would be safe under Kate's able command. The Hammersley rocked unsteadily beneath them, up and down in time with the rising swell. Dark clouds swirled above, dulling the remaining afternoon sun light that peaked through over them; the usual sparkle that it scattered cross the water replaced by the white tips of the growing waves. The grey colouring of the day has quickly soaking into the atmosphere of the ship, dragging the spirits and daily actions down with it and blanketing a feeling of impending dread on the ship's sailors.

"How much longer do you think the light will remain?" asked Nav warily. She breathed in the salted air deeply, the damp smell of rain mingling with the usual scent of the sea. It was an intoxicating mix and her eyes fluttered sleepily under its influence.

"Long enough" replied Mike, positive the job would get done by night fall "That boat's not going to with stand this weather much longer and we need to know if anyone's on board"

"Who do you think they are?" asked Nav, prying her eyes open to look at the captain in question. She let her weight rest against the railing softly, turning away from the water to watch the man next to her instead. The binoculars lay limp against her chest as she tucked her hair underneath her cap, keeping the unruly wind from blowing it away.

"Honestly Nav, I don't know" admitted Mike, sighing in frustration at their lack of knowledge. He looked heaven bound, praying comically for an epiphany of sorts to explain his current situation. All he received in reply was a gust of salted wind and stinging cheek.

Kate heaved her small frame up onto the deck of the small boat. She'd been glad to reach it, thinking it would be steadier than the flying RIB but now she was on board she was beginning to doubt her earlier prediction.

"How on earth has the vessel survived this long" she muttered absently, searching the boat in vain for sign's of life.

"X" called some one from below, surprise mixed with urgency evident in their voice. Kate made her way towards where the call had come from, eyeing the deck one last time to make sure the rest of the team where all present before ducking underneath to meet Buffer. Her stomach took a turn as the boat lurched, the slow groan of wood as the water splashed against it doing nothing to help her impending sense of dread.

"Yes Buffer" she replied, grabbing a wooden beam above her head to steady her jagged movement. Thunder rumbled somewhere in the distance and both looked at each other in contained alarm.

"We have to get off this boat" murmured Kate, bringing her other hand up to stop herself tripping over her feet. Buffer was leaning unsteadily against the side of the boat; next to him a wooden door creaked open and a sniffle broke the silence.

Kate looked towards Buffer in confusion before taking a slow step towards the door, her brow creased slightly as Buffer pointed his hand in invitation.

"Take a look" he offered, his usually passive face contorted in uncertainty and surprise.

Kate stumbled unsteadily towards the door, leaning against it heavily as the boat lurched forward and the wind picked up a notch. A small cry emitted from behind the door caused her to swing it open in surprise only to be met with a sight that caused her to react identically to that of its cause.

"Oh god" she murmured, turning her gaze swiftly to the man beside her. Her breath caught subconsciously in her throat as she tried desperately to comprehend the site in front of her. She opened her mouth to speak but could only manage a whisper before the radio crackled into life

"X-ray two this is Charlie two" called Mike, his voice broken and mangled through the mixed reception of the storm.

"This is X-Ray two" replied Kate, staring steadily at the occupants of the boat.

"Are you almost done over their X?" asked Mike "Because I'd like you to head back now, the winds picking up speed and I'm not liking the look of the clouds coming in"

"Yes sir" Kate answered. She shared a look with Buffer, silently asking how to explain what was happening.

"Have you spoken to the captain of the vessel yet X?" asked Mike.

"Sir" interrupted Kate "Their doesn't seem to be a captain" she explained slowly, waiting for the reaction.

"X?" was all he asked in reply, confusion and even a hint of frustration evident in his crackled voice.

"The only people on board are children sir" sighed Kate, trying to smile encouragingly at the scared brown eyes staring at her from behind the door.

"Children" repeated Mike after a pause, "what exactly do you mean by children?" he asked slowly.

Kate shared a confused look with Buffer before replying to the question quickly "I mean sir that the only people on board the boat besides us are a baby and young boy"

Her explanation was met with another moment of suspended silence and Kate found herself holding her breath in anticipation of the captain's reply. For lack of something to do she bent down slowly in front of the children, smiling encouragingly at the young boy and the baby wrapped up in his arms.

"sh" murmured Mike moments later, causing Kate to cover the radio quickly as the boy looked up in surprise, brown eyes wide as saucer's at hearing such a word.

"Sir" muttered Kate, turning her head to the side to muffle any more remarks from the captain in the children's presence.

"Are you sure there's no one else on board?" asked Mike, partially dreading what would eventuate if Kate answered in the affirmative. He had enough trouble dealing when the team escorted passengers to the main land and back and their latest experience with child on board had only ended in tragedy. His chest tightened momentarily as Kate's answer crackled over the radio. "Sorry sir" was all he had in reply and suddenly he knew that it would be a very long night.

"Bring them over X" he muttered "be very careful though, the last thing I feel like is swimming for children if they fall over board"

He leaned his head against the cold metal of the radio before letting it fall by his side in defeat, the plastic spring the only thing stopping it from shattering next to him. Nav looked surprisedly at the man standing dejectedly next to her. His shoulders were hunched over, screwing up the bluey grey fabric covering them. His down cast eyes were glazed thickly, not with tears but sadness; deep sadness over something long past and forgotten. Something was causing Mike great pain to think about and Nav was having trouble understanding how two small children they were yet to see where having such a profound effect on her otherwise cheerful leader.

"Sir" she whispered meekly. She hoped desperately that she wasn't touching on anything to personal but she needed the captain at full capacity if they were to make it through the storm unscathed.

"Sir the RIB's returning now" she tried again, this time succeeding in grabbing his wavering attention. Mike's eyes cleared and shot up to where the RIB was speeding back to the Hammersley. He almost felt sick watching it hurtle through the waves but he couldn't decide whether the cause was the weather, or the distinct presence of an extra, small blonde headed body wrapped up tightly in Kate's arms. He coughed roughly to clear his congested throat before turning towards Nav. He nodded his head quickly in recognition of her words, trying to clear his rattled brain and the churning feeling in his stomach.

"Should we go down to help them up?" suggested Nav. She took a small step towards the captain; look expectantly at him as he struggled to find the words to articulate how he was feeling.

"Yes" he croaked out, looking down surprisedly at how unlike him the voice sounded. He followed the brown ponytail of the Navigator down the stairs to where the rest of the crew were already accumulating to help the young new passengers on board. Mike felt a few rough hands brush against him as he stumbled after them. He felt light headed, almost like he was floating softly away in a dream except he felt good in dreams. All he felt like now was emptying his breakfast out over the side into the churning grey water below.

He heard a few shouts in the distance, one distinctive female voice stood out against the others, shocking him back to reality and a deeper sense of fear. Before he knew what was happening he was bent down against the railing and a small shivering body was pressed up against his chest. He rose slowly as the body sniffled and hiccuped, shaking him violently. The tangled mop of wet dirty blonde hair peeked upwards so that Mike could see two pairs of deep brown eyes, stained with unshed tears and surrounded by podgy white, mud streaked cheeks. .

He stumbled back slowly to allow the rest of the crew to climb aboard and escape the furious wind that was blowing around them before starring back at the boy in his arms. The boy's dark eyes met his own chocolate pools in surprise and the pair spent a good few seconds starring straight at each other before Mike realised he was the adult and therefore should most likely speak.

"Are you cold" was all he could manage to think up and he scolded him self at asking such an obvious question. The boy nodded feebly in response before tucking his head against Mike's shoulder to escape the wind seeping in through his light clothing.

Mike looked up towards the rest of his team, some of which were busy with the task of getting the RIB back on board; the other's starring intently at him and the tight grip he had on the shivering child in his arms. He looked past the expectant gazes of his men to the other blonde haired person on board. He made a motion towards stepping forward but Kate's eyes turned towards his and their eyes locked.

Thunder crackled over head as the first bolt of lightning struck. Kate tore her eyes away from Mike before turning swiftly and all but running in the opposite direction, the small body of the brown haired baby girl secured tightly in her arms.

He struggled to call after her, taking a few small steps in her direction but gave up quickly after she rounded the corner, disappearing from sight.

The rest of the crew watched the exchange in confusion. They were used to a sometimes hostile exchange between the CO and XO, but nothing like the atmosphere of the last few minutes. Something had shifted and it had nothing to do with the crack of thunder as the first drop of rain plunged towards the earth.

It wasn't until he was hit squarely in the nose that Mike realised he was alone in the rain. The boy in his arms shuffled quietly, trying to shield himself from the threatening downpour though not once did he speak.

"We should get out of this rain" muttered Mike, speaking more to himself than the sniffling child. He met the boy's steady gaze once more and almost stopped breathing in surprise. He forced a quick gulp of air down his constricting throat, blinking quickly to rid himself of what he had thought he'd seen.

If he hadn't been quite sure of the truth, he could have sworn he was looking at a copy of himself aged four; the only subtle difference being the blonde hair, a stark contrast compared to his own dark mop.

"Impossible" he murmured, taking long strides down the walk way until they were both safely undercover. He smiled warmly at the boy to calm him down before walking of in search of Swain. He needed to make sure the child was not suffering from any bumps, bangs or bruises.

And maybe get his own eyes sight checked in the process.


	2. Chapter 2

Mike carried his shivering blonde haired bundle down towards the spare cabin Swain had claimed as his own. He side stepped past Chefo and ET who were hovering by the door before hopping into the cabin and sitting down on the cushioned seat. The little boy was still curled against his chest, blonde tuffs of hair sticking out from underneath the blanket at odd angles; the slow rising of his chest against Mike's being the only indication that he was alive.

"Let's have a look at you" said Swain, sliding towards where Mike sat to reach for the shivering child. He placed one hand slowly on the boy's back hoping not to startle him, but the boy seemed unused to being around other people and cried out in alarm at having to move. Mike could feel the water from the soaked child begin to seep through his shirt and wonder briefly if any tears were mixed in as well. He gently pulled the clinging boy away from his chest, still holding him close but far enough so that he could get a good look at the child. Two dark eyes held Mike's glance and the man couldn't help but notice the tears welling up around the edges. He ran a soothing hand up the boys back, rubbing it gently to help calm the child down before brushing some mud from his face with a soft tissue. All the while he smiled encouragingly at the boy, talking to him softly to tell him what he was doing and that he was safe now; that what ever he was scared about he shouldn't worry because he would be fine on the ship. He watched as the boy's breathing slowed from haggard intakes of air to a calm, steady pattern and as the rims of water around his eyes where blinked away quickly.

With a smile Mike leaned the child back against the table before lifting him onto the wooden surface so Swain could get a look at him. From a safe distance away the medic started studying the child for any bumps and bruises, allowing Mike to keep a hold on the boy and talk to him steadily, acting as a distraction from the other men in the room.

The child was still wary of the man seated next to him and was keeping a trained eye for any movement but he felt safe seated in front of the brown haired man who had carried him and after a few minutes let his focus drift towards the questions being asked.

"Did a tree run into you?" asked Mike curiously, noticing the angry bruise shining against the child's pale head. He watched in amusement as four heads shot towards him, all looking at him like he'd lost his mind momentarily while standing in the rain. Chefo went to correct his question but Mike shushed him quickly, a short nod assuring the man that he'd asked the right one. The boy meanwhile was running the words over in his head, a small smile creeping onto his face as the silly image of a tree sprinting around in a frenzy ran through his mind.

"Tree's can't run" he concluded moments later, looking at the silly man before him like he'd lost his mind. Mike opened his mouth in a dramatic O, secretly glad that he'd gotten the boy to finally speak, as he let his childish side take over in conversation.

"What do you mean they can't run?" he asked, pretending to be shocked by such a revelation. The boy, even more surprised at how silly the man was couldn't help giggling as he shook his head "They can't" he called, his focus now completely on the man before him. "Haven't you ever seen a tree run around before?" asked Mike in amazement, acting as if tree races were an everyday occurrence.

"No" cried the boy again, dissolving into giggles as Mike sighed dramatically.

"Well then" nodded Mike in amusement, throwing his arms up in the air. He waited a moment for the boy to calm down again; secretly congratulating himself that he'd not only gotten the child to speak but also succeeded in distracting him long enough for Swain to bandage him up without protest. He sighed once more dramatically, noting the amused looks ET, Swain and Chefo were sharing at their unusually playful captain.

"Did a pole run into you then?" he asked, his face the model of complete seriousness as the boy erupted in giggles once more.

Laughing along distractedly as the boy shook his head in hysterics of giggles, Mike allowed himself to glance towards the door to ponder if Kate was coming. Surely she must have to bring the baby down he realised painfully, finding himself praying that that would not be the case. The three men opposite him watched on as their playful captain tuned quiet once more, his face twisted towards the door in sadness and longing while the boy sat giggling in his arms. Breaking his glance away from the door Mike turned swiftly back towards the child, plastering a happy smile on his face before holding out his hand for a shake.

"Mike" he introduced informally, grabbing the boys hand to shake it gently. A wave of shyness hit the boy again and he curled away from Mike's hand like he had earlier, causing the man to realise he had a harder struggle a head of him than he had perceived.

"What's your name" he asked encouragingly, keeping the smile while searching for the boys dark eyes with his own.

"Zachary" whispered the blonde haired child moments later, glancing quickly around at the men before looking down at his hands.

"Well then Zach" smiled Mike "Would you like something to eat?" he asked, glancing at Chefo who immediately sprung into action and scurried towards the door.

"Zachary" pressed the child, his voice a little louder this time and surprising all four adults. "What did you say buddy?" asked Mike, leaning in closer to make sure he hadn't missed what the boy had said.

"Nobodies called me Zach before" informed the boy, saying the name as if he were testing it out for the first time. Sitting back in surprise Mike mulled over what the child had just told him, wondering briefly it is was custom or just a family decision, or if the child hadn't been around adults long enough for one to call him Zach.

"Do you like the name Zach?" he asked a moment later, figuring it wasn't up to anyone else but the boy to decide. The little child pondered over the question for a moment, leaning his head to the side and whispering the name to try it out. He sat in silence a moment longer before picking his head up and nodding happily, quite proud to have what he had decided was a big boy name.

"Well then Zach" smiled Mike "How bout we follow my friend Chefo here and find you something yummy" he suggested, noticing the boy's delight at both the mention of food and the name of the man cooking it. He picked up the boy, carrying him once more out of the room with ease while the trio of men behind him followed. Once they reached the kitchen Chefo took over the talking, happy to be in his domain, while Mike and Zach looked on with interest.

"So, what do you feel like little man?" asked Chefo, glancing at the child while walking around the kitchen. Zach's eyes widened in surprise at being able to chose his own meal and he suddenly realised he didn't know what half the foods he liked were called, let alone what he wanted. Noticing the little boy's confusion Mike sat him down on the table, smiling at him encouragingly before suggesting Chefo make him a special surprise. At the mention of this both the Chef and the child's eyes met in excitement and Mike felt safe enough to leave Zach alone for a moment. He leaned down to the boy's eye level

"Zach, I have to go see a friend of mine now but I'll be back soon. Will you be okay?" he asked. Zach's free hand shot out to clench his tightly, his eyes widening in fright before he settled down again. "You'll be very safe here, I promise" Mike assured, and he noticed Zach's little body relax once more. With a smile he turned quickly, sending all three men a look before walking towards the door, only stopping when he heard a small gasp from Zach.

"Are you going to see Emily?" he asked, looking pleadingly towards Mike. The captain stood still a moment, frozen by the naming of the small bundle that Kate had whisked away with, the small bundle that chocked his inside to think about and scared him to his very core.

"Yes" he nodded quickly, his voice hoarse through his dry throat "Yes, I'll see her" he replied once more, forcing a smile onto his face to settle the little boy.

He turned quickly on his heels, avoiding the questioning looks from the men around him before striding down the corridor with haste, desperately trying to hold down the tearing feeling growing inside of him. He ran up the ladder quickly, pulling at the handles with a ferocious terror before escaping out into the rain, praying that the pounding water would wash away the sickness he was feeling.

"Oh god" he murmured in alarm, wondering how one earth he was ever going to make it downstairs if he was breaking down at the name of the tiny infant.

He wouldn't be able to handle going near her, would stop breathing in terror before he even reached the door, let alone if Kate was there.

It had physically hurt to see her carry the child earlier. It had knocked him hard in the guts and teared at his heart from all directions while he had struggled to breathe in and out in a normal pattern.

He desperately wished he'd never told Zach he'd see Emily, never talked to Zach in the first place or allowed the team to bring the children back over to him. He wished he'd never allowed them to go to the sinking ship to investigate or even replied to the call from NavCom earlier that day. As he drew in one shaking breath after another and leaned against the railing for support he wished he'd never let the Commander send Kate onto his ship as his XO, he wished he'd said no to the idea, that they needed her elsewhere and Mike could survive until another XO came along. As his mind drifted back and his heartbeat slowed he wished he'd never met the smiling, blonde haired sailor in the first place, that she'd gone to another lecture or that he'd followed his instincts and not taken the offer of teaching. He wished he hadn't asked her out for drink and she'd never accepted and more than anything he wished that when she had told him the night before had been a mistake that he hadn't kissed her deeply and told her that it wasn't.

"Why did I follow you" he murmured softly, one shaky breath after another whisked away in the swirling wind above as the pelting rain soaked him through. "Why didn't I just leave it alone? Why did I have to know the truth?" he sobbed. He felt his chest heave suddenly but instead of being sick he felt the hot trickle of tears fall down his red cheeks. The warm salty drops mixing with the freezing rain on his face.

Kate stared, lost in a trance, at the small bundle breathing slowly in her arms. The baby had long since fallen asleep, the dramatic events of the afternoon tiring her out for the night. She had small wisp's of light brown hair curled a top her damp forehead and if she had been awake two light blue eyes would have stared solemnly out at the woman holding her. Kate was unknowingly rocking the baby back and forth slowly, shifting slightly to find a comfortable spot on her bed while the infant lay still in her arms, its only movement being the soft rise and fall of her chest beneath her light pink blanket.

"She's gorgeous" whispered Nav from the doorway, hoping not to wake the child or scare the woman holding her who appeared to be lost in her thoughts.

"Yes" murmured Kate in agreement, breaking her steady gaze to peer down at the bundle.

Nav slowly crossed the small room before smiling down at the sleeping baby. Glancing back up as she sat on the bed she asked Kate if she wanted a break for a moment, maybe a drink of water or a rest for her arms "You've been holding her for almost an hour" laughed Nav slowly, aware of the fragile state Kate seemed to be in.

"Have I" murmured the woman in response, glancing quickly towards the clock before laughing slowly "I guess I have". She slowly placed the bundle into Nav's awaiting arms, watching the child nervously as the distinct absence of her warmth crept though the woman's body.

"How's the boy?" she asked moments later, her gaze not leaving the baby girl.

"I'm not sure" replied Nav, looking purposely towards Kate in the hopes of grabbing her attention. She was getting quite scared, watching her XO in such a state. First Mike had practically broken down and now Kate was off in another world. And all because two children had come aboard.

"How about you go and check in on him and I'll stay with the baby" she suggested, thinking a change of scenery might break Kate out of her trance.

"No" cried Kate, looking quickly towards Nav in alarm before glancing back down. Her hands were shaking and she desperately tried to bury them beneath the blanket she was still holding. She bit down hard on her bottom lip to hold in the shaking breathes she was taking all the while willing herself to keep it together, breathe deeply, calm herself down until the Nav left and the baby was back in her arms.

"How about I go and see him" breathed out Nav slowly, hurriedly placing the infant in Kate's arms before looking at the XO worriedly. She scurried out of the room, almost barrelling into her soaking wet captain who was hurrying down the corridor.

"Oh god" she cried in surprise, jumping back at his sudden appearance "I didn't see you sir" she murmured, laying a hand against her heart to stop its racing beat. Mike laughed nervously in return, apologising profusely and stumbling out of Nav's way once more; all the while keeping his head down and eyes stuck on the floor.

"Sir" called Nav in alarm, much like she had done moments earlier while her thoughts swirled around the mystery surrounding these children. She side stepped past the captain, realising for the first time he was soaking with water before letting him hurry off in the other direction. Her mind was racing a million miles per hour, trying to connect the appearance of the children with her CO and XO's behaviours but no solution presented itself.

"Sir" she called on an after thought, spinning around to face him "Could you check in on the XO for me, I think she might be a bit shaken from this afternoon" she suggested, hoping that the two speaking would help both. She spun back around, not bothering for an answer before setting off in search of ET and Swain.

Mike stood silently by Kate's door, breathing in deeply as he mulled over the possibilities. He's promised Zach he'd check on Emily and Nav had asked him to check on Kate and as far as he knew both of those people were located behind the door. Normally the thought of seeing Kate would have comforted him; normally the shaking in his hands and tugging at his heart would have been cured by standing by her side. The problem with today was that this would not be the case for not only were Emily and Zach the cause of his terror but Kate herself. And that on its own was enough to make him feel sick.

He swung open the door, not caring to knock, only wanting to get this over and done with without her knowing that he knew. It would kill them both if the truth came out. Maybe not physically but mentally and he couldn't bear the thought of that right now.

"Sir" gasped Kate in horror, looking towards the soaking form of her captain who stood pale faced at the door. She drew in a shaky breath, praying that she could hold herself together and not let anything slip until he had left her alone again and she could break down.

Mike stood as still as possible in front of Kate, took one, slow glance at the child wrapped securely in her arms and the natural way in which Kate held herself, and realised that the cuts he had thought had been long buried in the past were in fact raw, red wounds that hadn't even begun to heal.

He took one look at the woman in front of him and the baby that should have been his and ran.


	3. Chapter 3

"_Where are you going?" he asked softly, watching his blonde headed partner toss the clammy white sheets, stuck to their skin from the unbearable humidity, from her slim figure and walk softly towards the door. He'd had his back to her for the better part of the night, neither wanting the heat of the other's body adding to the stifling sweat of summer and he was sure she had believed he was still asleep when she had moved moments before. His thoughts were confirmed as she jumped a little, feet spinning on the cool floorboards of his apartment to make a squeak, as her body turned rigid with the shock of being caught. So surprised was she that he was reminded of the cat that ate to canary story that his mother used to tell and he had to call on all his will to stop the smile breaking across his face at the comparison._

"_Home, for clothes" she informed slowly, turning towards him pensively. He could have sworn her voice was softer as she replied to his question, almost as if she was testing the words out to see if he would believe her meagre excuse. He didn't of course, lately he'd surprised himself at the familiarity at which the pair addressed each other; he could read her like a book, as could she to him. Plus she had at least half her wardrobe stuffed in the spare space of his apartment that he could never seem to fill._

_Despite this he nodded in acceptance, deciding that she looked to fragile to pick an argument with. He was curious, even a little hurt, that she was keeping something from him, but he knew she wouldn't say a word if he approached it when she was in such a mood as now; the quiet, snappy, reserved manner she had adopted over the past few weeks._

_Hours later he sat quietly in his car, listening to the dying notes of the radio echo against the tinted glass of the windows. Across from him an old fashioned wooden sign was swaying gently in the late morning breeze, its rusted hinges creaking in time with his awkward breathing. _Dr. James Thomason _yada, yada, yada it read. He hadn't been bothered to read the fine print, the title of doctor, the site of his blonde haired partner entering earlier and the offending piece of equipment that lay solitarily in his lap were enough to tell him what was happening. _

"_Is she going to tell me?" he wondered briefly, his mind still trying to comprehended the long term meaning of his newly found knowledge, instead it had been concentrating on the fact that he had not been informed of it earlier. It was quite possible that she was seeking confirmation for what the tiny object, now on his lap, had already told her, and he would come home tonight to a home cooked, candle lit dinner during which she would (through tears and laughter) tell him of their impending arrival. Yet he knew this would not be the case. _

_Kate never cooked anything that couldn't be done in the microwave or in less than ten minutes, and the idea of her laughing and crying at the same time while telling him the news was as alien a thought to him as colours where to a blind man. _

_She's only twenty three he reminded himself angrily, realising for the first time just what this must be doing to her, especially with her ambitions and past hesitations. Dear god how had he managed to get a twenty three year old into such a situation, especially with himself being ten years her senior! _

'_You're a bastard' he murmured 'You should have ended this when it started, it shouldn't even have started!'_

_If anyone found out that they were together, well, it wouldn't just be the end of _his_ career and hers had barely begun._

'_She won't want this' he thought suddenly, guilt gripping at his inside's like the sticky black tar on the cigarette commercials that made both of them squirm. _

"_Maybe that's the real reason she's there, to stop this before it begins' he thought with unexpected horror, and his stomach jumped towards his throat, breakfast threatening to make a revisit. Suddenly, sitting outside the doctor's surgery, the positive pregnancy test lying in his lap as Kate decides the fate of their unborn child became too much for him and he jumped at the wheel, spinning it ferociously as his car bolted into life. Before to long he was on the open road, headed towards his beach; the only place he was assured of peace and quiet in a world that had just taken a sudden u-turn; with no intention of heading back._

That fateful morning had proven to be the beginning of the end for the already shaky pair and as he half crouched, half collapsed against the metal railings of the Hammersley's deck for the third time that day he wondered briefly why he had ever let himself go in the first place, those five long years ago.

The storm had passed slightly, the worst of it having gone unnoticed as he tended to Zachary and attempted to clear his foggy mind. Now all that remained was the terrible swell, rolling waves and white tips that battered their way against the ship, slanting the patrol boat on a permanent angle which made the rise and fall of the waves feel all the more dreadful; especially when his stomach was threatening to join the swirling water below. It astounded and scared the hell out of him that this day was turning out to be a replica of the one five years earlier, though whether this one, the day he had learnt of Kate's pregnancy or the day it had all ended was the worst he could not decide. All had left him feeling like the world was closing in on him, and all three days had been a turning point in both he and Kate's lives.

'What unforseen horrors were still waiting for him', he though with dread, praying that (like the storm) the worst had passed. Then again he knew from experience that the aftermath of an event could be as painful as its worst point, and the nagging feeling that had tugged at his heart for the first few weeks of Kate's life aboard the Hammersley had returned, a sure sign that there was still pain to come.

He looked out across the water, night had come early because of the weather and all that could be seen were the reflections of the ships lights, distorted by the waves below. He turned so that his back was leaning solely against the railing, its cold metal supporting him as his tired mind began to slow for the night. He had a sudden desperate need to sleep, and contemplated retiring for the night, skipping the special meal he could smell Chefo cooking for Zachary, spaghetti and meatballs, which would also mean he wouldn't have to face Kate or the baby. He knew it made no sense, but seeing her hold the small child, so safe and warm in her arms, made him long for that feeling himself, the magical moment when he would have held their own child in his arms, looked down at the purpley red, screaming face that he was responsible for, the gorgeous child that he and Kate had created. Seeing this baby, Emily as he had been informed, reminded him of all he had lost and the emotions that stirred wrenched at his insides painfully.

"Sir" came a timid call from somewhere behind him, it was a soft voice, cautious of what was happening but still curious as to what was going on. A female voice, his mind registered and for a fleeting second he was afraid it was Kate, come to seek him out for an explanation. He turned slowly, dreading the consequences of what could eventuate before seeing the brown ponytail of his navigator and physically sighing. The woman before him raised a silent eyebrow in question but he shook the glance off, adopting a professional look of calm and praying it would hold for the next few minutes.

Noticing the shift in her captain once more, he and the second in command had been a swinging pendulum of emotions for the last few hours, Nav glanced down at her feet, suddenly wary of what could happen if he was in a bad mood this time round. His meeting with Kate had obviously left him drained, and she prayed that no tensions would be present between the two.

"The crew were wondering if you were joining us for dinner, Zach was getting a bit restless without you" she informed, watching the man before hers face light up with worry at the mention of the little boy.

"He's fine" she assured hurriedly, smiling to reassure him "I think he just wants a familiar face"

"I'm no more familiar then the rest of you" grimaced the captain, his voice catching in his throat after the struggle he'd had before to simply breathe. He coughed two ragged barks of air that did nothing if worsen the terrible itch as he talked, but at least made it look like he was okay. He'd quickly realised that he'd have to act as if nothing was happening if he was going to survive a meal with the entire crew and Kate, a task which would be made slightly easier now that his attention was on the boy.

"Yes, but you're the first one he connected with, the first face he saw so he associates you with safety" rambled Nav a moment later, her words stringing together in a jumble. A sense of déjà vu washed over her as the troubled look graced Mike's face again, making her nervous and jumpy. For lack of anything to say she turned on her heel, leading the wandering man to the galley where everyone had helped themselves to their meal.

Zach spotted Mike before he saw the boy's blonde tuffs of hair race across the crowded room, giving him barely enough time to react as the small body hurdled into his arms.

"Did you see Emily?" came the small whisper which was heard across the now silent room, each member of the crew focused on the interaction of their usually tough captain and the child in his arms.

"Yes, she's fine" he smiled at Zach before taking a seat in the galley, placing the boy on his lap to face him. The child's face broke into a relieved smile at the news that his little sister was well and a sudden thought brightened his already dancing eyes.

"Can we see her?" he asked excitedly, his quieter demeanour replaced with bouncing animation as he waved his hands about, already relaying a story to Mike that had nothing to do with his request and was barely intelligible to the group of men that were listening.

"Maybe" choked out Mike, his late reply causing a few heads to turn in confusion. "Maybe we can see Emily later" he explained slowly, his voice becoming lost as the usually sounds on the galley boiled over. For the rest of the crew, save Kate and a suspicious Nav, it was a normal night aboard the Hammersley, and nothing was getting in the way of their usual volume. For Mike his mind was a million miles away from the present, the voices echoed in the distance and he could only just make out the weight in his lap which was were Zach sat happily, telling an exciting tale to a grinning ET, Swain and Spider. He felt like he was floating, dreaming maybe, and would never make it back to the life he knew, not now that he had to face what had been hidden for years.

The sickly feeling began to bubble under the surface as he let his mind get the better of him, conjuring up a feeling of dread that wasn't entirely necessary but was still happening regardless.

Zach's red hands, dripping with tomato sauce, were the only thing that brought him back to reality as the boy tugged gently at his shirt, pointing to Buffer as he attention snapped back.

"Yes?" he asked hoarsely, eyeing the man before him with confusion.

"This just came in form NavCom sir" replied Buffer, holding out a warm piece of paper for the captain to read "RO sent me down with it, said it held important information on" he dropped his voice to a whisper as he eyed Zachary "You know who" he whispered.

"You mean the kids?" asked Mike, purposely destroying the cover as he didn't see the point in keeping secrets from children, especially when it could contain important information.

He scammed the page briefly, before sitting back in astonishment, looking towards the clueless four year old in his lap who was playing with a napkin, before reading the paper more thoroughly. In a nutshell it told of two children, Zachary Graham (4 years) and Emily Graham (9 months) who had been kidnapped late last week in Sydney from their father. He had held sole custody of them since their mother had left them locked in a car in the middle of summer outside Coles, this being the last in a string of negligence that had almost resulted in Emily's death. Apparently their mother, Susan Graham, had taken them from their Balmain home and caught the first flight to Darwin before setting of by boat, probably with the hopes of reaching Bali. Their father, Marcus Graham, had been on a mad hunt for the past week, the business man (who had left his wife before Emily's birth) loved his children dearly and the thought of what could happen to them on the open waters with their mother scared him to the bones.

"The father booked in on the last flight to Darwin after NavCom got in touch this evening, so he'll be there when we dock tomorrow" informed Buffer, noting the mixture of astonishment and disgust, tinged with sadness that washed over the captain's worn face.

"Thanks Buff" nodded Mike, looking distractedly down at Zach, the small child with such a story, in a new light. He pulled the little boy tighter to his chest, barely stirring the boy who was talking to ET happily, before grabbing a passing plate of spaghetti and settling down. His stomach finally felt like it could handle food, if only a little and he had a long night ahead of him.


	4. Chapter 4

Not for the first time that night did Nav find herself the mediator between her captain and her second in command. After the meal and a shy but animated tale from Zach to the crew (he'd become an overnight mascot for the Hammersley) she'd realised that Kate had not been present for anything, not until Mike had left to put Zach to bed. Only then did she appear, picking at the food before her whilst rocking a dozing Emily in her arms. She'd let the crew have a hold of the child earlier, and the tired look of relief at letting the bundle go didn't go unnoticed, but her worried glances every few seconds towards the baby after the initial emotions had worn off had led to the undeniable feeling that there was a story that needed to be told, and Nav had made it her mission to find out what it was.

She pushed at the metal door of the cabin she shared with the XO tentatively, and was relieved, if not a little surprised, to see Kate sound asleep in her bunk, a slumbering Emily laying against her chest while a pink bunny rug lay over the pair.

As quietly as she could Nav climbed the ladder to her own bunk, wincing slightly as the bed creaked under the sudden weight of a human being. She hung her head over the edge to see if she had woken either of the people below her but the rise and fall of Kate's chest and a snuffle from Emily informed her that both were still asleep, and would not be waking anytime soon.

Content that everything had panned out okay as no disaster had occurred that she knew of, she allowed herself to lay back slowly, her head hitting the pillow just as the sounds of a small cry came from below. She bolted up in a seated position, wincing once more as the bed let out a heavy groan and another soft cry came from below. She had to strain her ears over the pounding of her heart to assure herself that she had heard it, that she was not hearing things go bump in the night.

"Emily" she breathed out in realisation moments later, reasoning that it was perfectly normal for a young child, especially a baby, to cry out at night. She was probably crying for her father sighed Nav softly, her heart going out to the two children who had been though so much. Mike had informed his crew of Zach and Emily's story after dinner, dropping in just after Kate had departed and Zach had been put down for the night. Everyone had been quite shocked by what had happened. In retrospect they'd seen this happen before, quite recently as well, but the father that had taken his two children hadn't done what Zach and Emily's mother had, plus those children had been older, more apt to handle the conditions on the water. If the Hammersley hadn't found the boat when it had there was no chance the small children would have survived the storm, it was amazing that they had survived as long as they did on the water anyway, with or without their mother.

Also, as pointed out by ET, there was definitely no Susan Graham aboard the sinking boat when they had boarded earlier, and a search party was set to canvas the area at sunrise. To the crews delight they would be joining said search after returning the children to their father, a notion which had delighted all the men who struggled to understand how such small children could be treated such a way.

Once again the Navigator lowered herself to her pillow, relishing the calming feeling of the waves hitting the boat, something which soothed her greatly after a hectic day above. She had almost drifted into a slumber when the cry sounded again, yet this time she knew that a) she wasn't hearing things and b) that it had not been Emily who was crying. This was a woman, someone in a deep sleep whose dreams weren't agreeing with them in the slightest, and who was currently starting to thrash about below.

Enabling some skill that she had picked up tree climbing as a child, Nav swung down the steps of the ladder in record speed, grabbing a waking Emily before she could join in the crying herself. She hushed the child, watching Kate's face distort in pain beside her before she screwed her eyes tight and cried out again, falling back against the pillow once more before the cycle started again. With her heart beating a song against her chest Nav was mildly surprised that Emily fell back to sleep so quickly, her mild disturbance nothing compared to what she had faced obviously.

With no where to place the child Nav negotiated her against her right shoulder, amazing herself at the ease in which she could balance the baby in one arm and shake Kate's own shoulder with the other, praying that the XO was not a heavy or violent sleeper. It took her two more cries of pain and a few mutters of annoyance to finally wake the sleeping woman, her face red and sweating against the sticky sheets.

As she awoke she threw her body forwards with such force it shocked both woman, scaring Nav and erupting a fit of coughs from Kate who was struggling for breathe as it was.

Nav laid a comforting hand against the XO's shoulder, a woman who she had once hated to be around yet now considered one of her closest friends.

"Kate"she called softly, watching the blonde headed woman turn towards her, green eyes starring wide and blank. Suddenly she drew in a deep breathe before collapsing in a heap of shuddering tears, her whole body moving with the force of the struggle to cry and breath at the same time.

"It's over" soothed Nav instinctively, shifting Emily once more so that she could sit on the bed next to Kate and keep her hand on the broken woman before her's shoulder.

Minutes past as the trio sat in silence, one sleeping, one crying and one comforting both.

Finally Kate drew in another great shudder of air, looking up to brush the hair from her face before looking in horror at Nav.

"I'm so sorry" she apologized quickly, jumping back slightly. She blinked a few times before yawning with exhaustion, the sheer terror of the nightmare and its aftermath had left her feeling more drained than the day had, quite a feet considering the emotional rollercoaster than she had endured for the past 10 hours.

"Don't worry about it" replied Nav with a smile, unable to think of anything more to say than that. She'd faced nightmares before, her own and that of her brothers, she'd even soothed people through them, though she'd never encountered one with a friend, especially one so private who tried to be so strong in front of others.

"Do you want to talk about it?" she asked finally, breaking the silence that had once again enveloped them. Kate looked towards her, anguish and exhaustion evident before her gaze drifted towards Emily slowly, her face softening slightly at the sight of the tiny bundle of pink.

"It has something to do with these children, doesn't it?" guessed Nav, not waiting for an acknowledgment to what she already knew to be true, rather wanting to get it into the open that she knew what was happening and wanted an explanation.

"Yes" nodded Kate finally, the slow motion preceding a sniffle and cough as she cleared her throat. "Not directly, but Zachary and Emily brought it to the surface for both of us" she informed, the cryptic message not going unnoticed by the Navigator.

"Both of you?" she questioned, lowering her voice so as not to disturb both Emily and anyone passing.

"Mike and I" replied Kate slowly, almost smiling as Nav's eyes widened in surprise. Not so much at the mention of their captain, she'd already guessed he was involved, but more the subconscious surprise at hearing Kate refer to him by his first name, something which had never happened before.

"I guess I should explain" sighed Kate before settling cross legged in the bed, spinning to face Nav and Emily who still lay sound asleep.

And so, by the small lamp of the girl's cabin the story was finally told, the full story, as only Kate knew. One that had been 5 years in the making and until now had never been heard.

Meanwhile Mike aimlessly wondered the hallways of his beloved ship, playing over in his mind every passageway and secret door he could remember, which was pretty much them all. He'd felt a sudden sense of longing upon going to bed, which he knew was a result of Zach's sudden appearance and his even sooner departure and he could already tell it was going to be painful watching the boy go; losing another child he had scarcely gotten to know.

This sense of goodbye had also led to the feeling of dread that was coming with the loss of his ship. It was well know throughout the Navy that he was married to his job, and the Hammersley had always been his baby. Suddenly the thought of giving her up seemed impossible, like he was giving away part of his soul with nothing in return but a harsh blow to the heart. What felt like half his life had happened on these decks, in the passageways he now wandered, the cabins and rooms he had occupied for years and for any person, giving up a part of their life was hard, but for a man with not much else it felt like the end of the world. What was awaiting him when his love was retired, another boat? Like a little kid who refuses to give anything different a try he felt like refusing the new Armidale models of Patrol Boat. He didn't want anything else but the Hammersley until the day he died, and though he knew that exhaustion, grief, pain and being stuck in the rain all day was the only reason he felt so strongly this way, and that in the end he would be a man and step up to his new challenges, from where he stood right now the only thing he felt like doing was curling in a ball; or stamping his feet very very loudly.

'It also meant Kate would be leaving' haunted a voice that he swore had not been present before five years ago. It had been silent for a while but ever since she had shown up it had been chattering into overdrive.

"Go away" he murmured in annoyance, not wanting to contemplate that thought just yet. He still wasn't done with being a child about his current situation, and had a few hours of felling sorry for himself left until the sun came up.

He found himself outside his cabin door once more, wandering briefly when his feet had moved to get him there before peeking his head in on Zachary to make sure he was still fast asleep. True to form the four year old had literally crashed at the sight of the bed, falling asleep before his head hit the pillow after a night of busy chattering.

He was still sound asleep hours later and though Mike knew he himself would not be sleeping anytime soon, his exhaustion hastened at the sight of the sleeping child.

"Sleep tight" he murmured quietly before closing the door again, leaning against the cool metal for a moment. His thoughts of dread and sorrow carried on through the night as he continued to wander the passageways, trying to rid himself of the thoughts of Kate leaving him again as he gave up the Hammersley. His whole life was dissolving around him and he could do nothing about it but wander, trying to soak in as much as he could before it all went crashing away.

"Oh my god" murmured Nav, shutting her mouth tightly after the moment of not thinking before glancing up at a grave Kate, her eyes wet with unshed tears at the part of the story she had just told.

"You didn't tell him?" questioned Nav, wondering how someone could keep something that big to themselves. She herself never could though, she reasoned, she'd never been placed in such a situation and therefore chose not to judge Kate, at least not tonight with all that was happening.

"I was 23" was all Kate could muster, words whispered from her mouth softly. It had been harder then she had expected to tell her story, but already she could feel the weight of her knowledge being shared by the woman in front of her.

"What happened after that?" asked Nav suddenly, realising for the first time that Kate had no child that she knew of now. She searched the woman's eyes for any sign of an answer, guilt, sorrow, or pride for a child she had now. But nothing came.

"I lost him" she choked out moments later, the tears finally spilling down her cheeks in great splashes that ricocheted of onto her lap below. They fell like spirals down her face as Nikki tried to understand what that meant, pulling a still sleeping Emily tighter against her subconsciously.

"I was three months pregnant, and I miscarried" explained Kate through tears, drawing in deep breathes as she tried to stop the great sobs racking her body.

Usually she would have been mortified to be crying in front of anybody, but she was so very much exhausted, physically, mentally and emotionally, that she couldn't bring herself to care.

"Oh god" murmured Nikki, once more laying a comforting hand on Kate's shoulder though this time she could feel her own tears falling as well, joining the salty, clear droplets from the woman before her.

"Mike never knew?" she asked, though she could already guess the answer.

"No" confirmed Kate with a stern nod, tears still falling though she was felling a little stronger now. It was true that the truth made you stronger she thought bitterly.

"And he never will"


	5. Chapter 5

Mike watched on in tired amusement as Zach relayed the animated tale of his adventures aboard the Hammersley, and the invitation he had received by the crew of coming back for a visit soon.

"One day mate" smiled Marcus Graham, ruffling the child's hair affectionately, while balancing a tired Emily against his shoulder. With a sudden enthusiasm and a yelp from Zach, he hoisted the boy up into his arms so that both children were in his eye site, before pulling them close for a hug. As Zach snuggled himself against his fathers shoulder, Mike couldn't help but marvel at the trust and happiness that was evident within the small family despite all they had seen and been through. Marcus Graham had been a mess as Mike and Kate had carried the children across to him, yet now he was the smiling face of a perfect father, happily listening to Zach ramble on while crooning to a giggling Emily.

Mike was feeling calmer than he had expected, watching Zach leave had been hard, yet the look on the child's face at being reunited with his dad, of finally being safe and warm in his fathers embrace, had made him realise just how daunting having a child was. Having someone whose life depended solely on you, well, it was a new and overwhelming concept to the captain. For the first time in his life he began to wonder if he'd have been able to live up to that role, been able to care and love someone as Marcus Graham loved his two children. Would he have been able to go as far as that man had for two small souls?

In truth, he didn't know if he could and suddenly he felt his calm of earlier slip away, replaced with overwhelming anger.

"Sir, we joining the search?" asked an over eager ET, running along side to catch his escaping captain. The man had a hard look of concentrated anger and ET backed off, realising that he'd never seen the man look that way before, with an expression that could turn the bravest of men into snivelling cowers.

"Sir?" he asked meekly though he already knew that they would not be leaving anytime in the foreseeable future, not until the captain had seen who ever had plastered that look on his face, someone ET was increasingly feeling sorry for.

"Not now" was the short reply he was given, the CO barely glancing his way as he continued a steady pace towards the road. ET turned his gaze a few metres ahead of the captain to where his car sat and wondered why the man would be leaving at a time like this.

"Do we just stay here then?" he asked flippantly, hoping the off hand comment would shake the captain back to his senses so the crew could start their search for the missing Susan Graham.

"Do what you like ET as long as you're all here when I get back" responded Mike without a second glance. He reached his car and climbed inside, disappearing behind the metal door before ET could get a word in.

"So we just stay here then" he muttered, watching the car speed off down the road before swerving around the corner, heading towards the housing nearby where most of them resided.

"Where's he off to?" asked an inquisitive voice from behind, causing ET to spin in surprise.

"The moon and back probably" he replied flippantly, turning towards Nav with a crooked smile. She gave him an odd look in return before smiling back, following him towards the Hammersley and her awaiting crew.

3 sharp knocks; that was their old greeting he remembered bitterly, hardly pausing at the front door before ramming his fists against it. Three sharp blows to the thick wood that left smooth red marks against the side of his aching hand.

He heard the shuffle of feet on the other side and knew that she was home. Any moment now she would be opening her front door, probably still in her uniform as she had not been dismissed earlier. He'd have to pick her up on that later he thought sardonically, wondering if by that afternoon the two of them would ever be able to look at each other again. Probably not, he reasoned, he sure as hell never wanted to see her again, and no doubt after she opened the door neither would she.

"Can I..." the words died on her lips before the sentence could even take meaning, the intended question fleeing her mind as she looked on at the man in front of her, eyes searing though his face looked calm. On second glance she realised he wasn't calm at all, she'd seen his look before and it was one of pure, concentrated anger, and she had no doubt that she was on the receiving end of it.

"Sir" she managed to utter meekly, swallowing soon after to wet her parched throat. .

'He knows, oh god; he knows everything' a voice called out to her mind, screaming at her to slam the door in his face and run; run as far away from him as she could, just like she had the last time things had gotten to hard.

She got as far as placing one pale, trembling hand against the door frame before he stuck his foot through onto the polished floorboards of her apartment.

"Say something Mike" she murmured with just a hint of fear.

He made no sound other than the quiet rush of air as he inhaled followed by the slow exhale as his chest rose and fell, perfectly in time with the clock tick ticking away behind her on the mantle piece.

"Please" she pleaded, swallowing once more in anticipation while stepping backwards, unknowingly cornering herself as Mike stepped in time with her movements. For every step backward she took he responded with one forward, so that they remained the same distance apart.

With her heart beating madly against her chest as Mike's face continued to stare menacingly down upon her, Kate had the sudden, horrid feeling that something was terribly wrong with the man she thought she knew.

"I followed you that day, to the doctors. Spent the next three weeks wondering when you were going to tell me" he spat out finally, towering over Kate as a lone tear trickled down her cheek. He was waving his hands about angrily, hardly pausing for breathe before continuing his quiet rant.

"I always knew you liked your secrets Kate, but I never, never thought you'd keep them from me, not after everything" he finished with the same quiet, barren voice that sounded horribly like something out of a horror movie. Now would be the part where I die, thought the side of Kate's brain that hadn't shut down when he informed her that he knew every one of her hidden secrets that she'd fought so hard for him never to know.

But, instead she was spared, as the sound of her front door slamming against its wooden framing awoke her from the shell of thoughts she had escaped to. She looked up, barely noticing that she had curled up against the wall before pulling herself up towards a standing position, her tired bones creaking as the sound of the clock echoed through the silence.

She should have known that he would never even think of hurting her, never physically. If Mike Flynn was anything it was a leader, and he'd never let his role slip to such low lengths. No matter how harshly he had been betrayed by someone he had held so dear.

So, instead of staying to rant and rave he'd done the only thing he could think of. He'd left, just like that without any explanation from her about why she had kept it from him, or why he hadn't deserved to know.

Of course he had deserved to know, he would have been an amazing father no matter what the circumstances were, yet something in Kate had snapped when she had found out five years ago, and that same thing was happening now. She refused to see the situation as anything more than a complete mess, and Mike was to have no part in it.

She reached one, small pale hand back to touch the wall slowly, grasping onto it to balance herself as she slid back to the floor, hugging her knees tight against her body as the tears rolled painfully down her soft, flushed cheeks.


	6. Chapter 6

"Nikki" yelled ET, sprinting down the pier "Nik, Buff!"

He reached the group standing near the Hammersley breathlessly, heaving in air before looking up at the worried, familiar faces of the crew.

"I just got a call, from the hospital" he coughed, waving the piece of paper holding the message in his hand "The captains been in an accident"

Kate laid still, cheek pressed roughly against the pillow on her lounge, watching the television sparkle with colour before her as an afternoon movie played itself out on one of the stations.

She breathed in deeply, feeling her body relax a little as exhaustion set in once more. She was slightly afraid of falling asleep, the nightmares of the night before when Emily lay against her chest threatening to make a reoccurrence if she let her eyelids droop and whilst they had mainly contained the idea of Mike finding out her secret, the fact that he now knew, and had known for some time, did little to settle her tingling nerves.

Somewhere in the distance of her apartment she could hear her mobile ringing, the shrill tone vibrating throughout the rooms until it reached her cloudy mind metres away. She made no effort to move, instead waiting for the noise to stop so she could return to the world she had formed years ago inside her own head, created when as a young child she had had to escape, and revisited five years ago when her own child had been lost along with its father.

The only place in Australia she had ever felt truly safe was hidden away where only she could find it, a make believe land where nothing ever went wrong and she was free. For a while she had lived without it, instead content to be safe in his arms, but that feeling of peace had been deserted when she left him and never had she felt that way again.

She let out a sigh as her home phone rang loudly against her ear, a sign that who ever wanted contact her was not giving up until she was found. She reached a hand up above her head slowly, letting her fingers wander across the table until they landed upon the cool plastic receiver that was vibrating with each ring.

"Kate speaking" she answered, surprising herself with such a sleepy voice.

"It's Nikki" came the frantic reply, the voice of the young woman causing Kate to sit up straighter. For a brief second she was terrified that Mike had told the crew what had happened and Nikki, as the only other soul who Kate had told, was ringing to make sure she knew before seeing them all once more.

"The captains been in an accident" breathed out the navigator instead, her voice echoing through Kate's pounding head as the enormity of the words sunk in.

"Is he alive?" she managed to ask, her vice cracking slightly as she gripped tightly to the fabric of the lounge. She silently prayed that he was alright, only letting her body relax slightly as Nikki's conformation came across the line.

"He was hit by a car and has been taken to hospital"

Kate could hear the tears forming in her young friends voice as she desperately tried to fight back her own, the emotion of the last 24 hours overpowering her as she tried to comprehend that the man who had stood raging before her not two hours ago was now fighting for his life.

"I'm coming"

The crew of the Hammersley sat in the small hospital waiting room, each member silently awaiting the news of their captain's condition. Nikki sat with one hand clasped around Josh's, neither willing to let the other go despite the consequence of their new found closeness. Chefo had laid his head in his hands; Jen running a hand up and down his back in comfort whilst Swain and his wife Sally sat curled against each other; Charge and Robert where busy staring at the wall and Buffer paced the white flooring in anxiety, praying silently that the doctor would walk out of the operating theatre with news soon.

Kate had arrived last, curling herself up to the side of the crew after a warm hug from Nikki and smiles from the men. She hadn't spoken save for a few words in greeting, instead her mind had been plagued with worry and guilt, the thought that she had caused this to happen making her stomach churn violently.

"I'm getting coffee, anyone else want some?" asked ET suddenly, surprising the crew as he extracted his hand from Nikki's grasp. A few of the others nodded in agreement and after a glare from Nav, Robert, who was seated nearest to Kate, agreed to help.

Once they were gone Nikki walked slowly to the other side of Kate, sitting down so that the woman turned away from the crew to face her.  
"How are you?" asked Nikki, searching out Kate's glistening eyes. The woman sighed loudly in return, choking back the tears she could feel rising in her chest.

"I can't help thinking that it's my fault he's on there" she whispered finally, pulling her jacket tighter around her body.

"He came to my place a few hours ago" she continued "he was so mad and then suddenly he left"

"Kate" whispered Nikki, drawing her in for a hug "You had no way of knowing this was going to happen"

The pair sat in silence for a moment, each thinking over the consequences of the day gone by.

"He knew" breathed out Kate suddenly, heaving in a breath through her now falling tears. Buffer and Swain shared a glance towards Nav, silently asking if everything was okay before resuming their silent vigil as the navigator nodded.

"He knew all along about the baby, before I lost it"

Kate wiped a hand across her face before leaning into her friends embrace. She ignored the thought that the crew were watching and that at any minute now the doctor may have come out with news. All she wanted was to cry and possibly sail back into the past. To yesterday, before Zack and Emily had been found and her life had been torn open with the truth. No, she thought, back five years, before she decided to keep the secret from him for three months, and go to the doctor alone; before she left him that night.

"If I could redo it I'd tell him" she whispered, finally trusting her voice to speak. Nikki nodded in acknowledgment, leaning back to give Kate the space she knew the woman would need.

"If it meant none of this would have happened I'd have told him straight away"

"He's one lucky man" breathed out the doctor, nodding along with Swain who stood apart from the group. Each member of the crew had their eyes trained on the medic as he discussed the captain's condition with the doctor. No one could quite make out the words being said, but the general prognosis looked positive, despite the grave look on everyone's faces.

"The bleedings been stopped and there looks to be no brain damage, so long term he's looking fine" stated the doctor, a man by the name of John Fraser.

"Short term?" asked Swain cautiously, watching the doctor sigh.

"He's broken some ribs and his left leg, which we can't set until the swellings gone down, but in a few months it should be fine. As I said, things could have been a lot worse"

John smiled over at the anxious crew before clapping Swain on the shoulder, informing him that he had to go but could be contacted if anyone had further questions.

"How is he?" asked Buffer, standing as Swain returned to the group.

"He's good, much better than I expected when we arrived" replied Swain, the only one of the crew who had been able to find information during the waiting period.

"He's broken a leg and some ribs, but the bleedings been stopped and the rest is superficial wounds"

"So, nothing time won't heal?" asked ET, reclaiming his grasp on Nikki's hand. Swain nodded in reply, smiling at the crew to assure them that their captain was going to be fine.

"He'll be ordering us around before we know it" he cracked; glad to see the few smiles that erupted amongst the men and woman.

A few hours, and many rounds of Blackjack later, and the crew had settled in for the evening, Jen and Sally opting to head home while the others awaited further news. What they were waiting on no one knew exactly, but each had the inkling that they would not be able to rest until their captain opened his eyes once more.

"Swain?" asked Nikki quietly, calling the medic away from his game for a moment.

She glanced nervously around the group, careful not to let anyone overhear her conversation.

"Hmm?" asked the man in reply.

"Do you think Kate would be able to see Mike?" inquired Nikki with a sigh, watching as Swain's face contorted in confusion before softening. He glanced over at the blonde headed woman, curled half asleep on the plastic chair, before remembering her reaction earlier, and how obviously shaken she was by the past 30 hours.

"Yeah, probably" he nodded "Only for a minute though"

"That's all she needs" smiled Nikki gratefully, thanking Swain as he went to find the doctor.

The room was silent save for a lone beep from the machinery surrounding Mike's small frame lying still in bed.

Kate stifled a gasp as her eyes settled on the peaceful form of her captain, eyes filling with tears as she remembered the last time she had seen him, seething with anger and hurt.

She walked slowly towards the bed, sitting in the plastic chair usually saved for wives and mothers or husbands and fathers.

Not deceitful ex girlfriends she pondered bitterly.

"I'm sorry Mike" she whispered, gently laying a hand on the bed near his own. She didn't dare touch him, not yet, instead she sat silently by his side as the machines continued to beep steadily around them both.

"You should have told me that you knew" she whispered finally, afraid to say the words any louder. "Maybe we could have done it together"

She gently reached a hand up to stroke his hair, shuddering at the sight of the gash across his forehead, a reminder that he wasn't asleep next to her but lying unconscious in hospital.

"Maybe all three of us would have been happy"

Her other hand found its way to her stomach, coldly touching the flat skin that was their. Her chest became tight as the sobs rose once more, falling down her cheeks as she laid her head down on the soft hospital blankets, wishing that she could reach his hand down to cover her own; that he could have done so five years ago and felt their child, not yet visible but alive within her.

"Why didn't I tell you" she sobbed, gripping his cool hand tightly "Why couldn't I do it?"


	7. Chapter 7

"Snap" yelled Zachary proudly, slapping his small hand on top of the growing pile of cards on Mike's lap.

"You're playing Go Fish silly" reminded Marcus gently, tickling his son who sat squirming on his lap. Mike grinned from his seat on the hospital bed, his left leg outstretched before him and enclosed in plaster. It had been two weeks since the accident and one since the operation on his knee, leaving him with a stiff and sore joint and numerous amounts of pain medication.

"Mike" whined the four year old, pouting slightly and throwing himself on the side of the bed. "Can we pretty please play snap?"

It had amazed the captain at how comfortable the little boy had become around him, even more so that when he had awoken for the first time that amongst the grinning faces of his crew sat a very animated Zachary on ET's lap.

"Only if you don't cheat" he informed the youngster, pointing knowingly at him with a smile "He beat me five times straight yesterday before I realised what was going on"

Marcus grinned in amusement, ruffling his child's hair affectionately so that the boy winced in annoyance. After deciding that to much of the past lay in Sydney, Marcus, whose family resided over seas, had decided to move to Darwin instead, the place where not only was he reunited with his children but had already made some good friends, one of which was currently being beaten hands down at Snap.

"You're a goner mate" he informed, whistling in amusement as Zachary won for the umpteenth time.

"He's looking better" smiled Nikki, watching from the doorway as Mike and Marcus laughed over something Zach had said.

"Hmm. Physically, definitely" agreed Josh. His left hand wandered unconsciously over to Nikki's left elbow, pushing it slightly as they entered the hospital room.

"How you feeling boss man?" asked ET happily, seating himself on the side of the chair Nav had grabbed.

"Better" nodded the captain. He turned to the side slightly so the pair could see the gash healing across his forehead, the pink tissue looking much better then the bruising they had seen days before.

"How's the crew?" he asked in return, hoping no amount of adventure had happened without him.

"Good" smiled Nikki. It had not escaped her notice that the captain wanted nothing more than to be back at sea.

"The X has been captaining diligently, though not as well as you do sir" slipped ET, only realising what he had said when Nav poked him harshly in the side.  
"Good to know" Mike managed to say, breathing in deeply to swallow some of the emotion he felt rising.

Not even ET had failed to notice that Kate was the only one to not have visited the captain. Apart from the night of the accident, where Swain had requested her own private visit to his room, the XO had buried herself in work, hardly stopping to breathe whilst the rest of the crew worried about to two commanding officers they could see falling apart.

"You okay sir?" asked Nikki, noticing Mike wince slightly.

"Yeah" he huffed, adjusting his leg slightly, "Just my leg" he grinned wryly.

Marcus, noticing the shift in the atmosphere, announced that he would find the nurse, leaving Zach to stare at Mike as ET and Nav suggested a coffee break as well.

The little boy climbed slowly on to the bed, careful to avoid Mike's leg and other injuries.

"What's up Zach?" asked Mike, smiling forlornly at the frowning child.

"You look sad" replied Zach, burying his head in the blankets beside Mike's shoulder.

"Why haven't you held Emily yet?" he asked suddenly, glancing over at his sleeping sister. He felt Mike's arm stiffen slightly and turned to watch his face, eyeing the man with an innocent gaze of curiosity that would not be settled easily.

"Mate, come here" sighed Mike, pulling the boy as close to him as possible without any pain.

"She won't hurt you" informed Zach, just in case the adult was afraid of the little bundle. "I was afraid of her when she came home with daddy, but she's fine now" he added.

"I'm not afraid of Emily buddy" laughed Mike quietly, musing over the boy's choice of words. Actually he was quite afraid of her he realised, of what holding her would make him feel, just not afraid in the way the little boy meant.

"Zach, do you remember the lady that looked after Emily when we met?" he asked suddenly, wondering why on earth he was trying to explain to a four year old.

"On your boat?" asked the child for clarification. Mike nodded with a small smile "On my boat" he agreed.

"Yes, she hasn't visited you yet, has she" nodded the child.

"Well, I knew her a long time ago" breathed Mike slowly, ignoring the last part of Zach's sentence as he had Kate's lack of appearance as well.

"Kate and I loved each other" he began, trying to explain in a way the boy would understand and startling himself with the truth at the same time, "but she did something to me that hurt me very much" he continued, swallowing heavily. He glanced down at the boy to gauge whether he understood, eyes widening in surprise as the child nodded.

"Did she say sorry?" asked Zach simply.

Mike stayed silent as he watched Zach's head droop sleepily.

"Are you tired mate?" he asked, watching the little head drop. He heard a mumbled response and figuring the discussion was over sighed deeply, wandering why he had thought the little boy might have been able to help him sort out his feelings.

"If she's said sorry than you should forgive her" came a whispered voice from below, startling the captain

"Especially if she loves you"

Minutes later Marcus, ET and Nav returned to the hospital room, watching silently as the nurse adjusted Mike's medication. As she left she smiled at the trio, nodding towards the sleeping captain and boy "They're a very cute pair" she grinned, disappearing out the door.

"He's not doing as well as we'd like to think, is he?" asked ET, resuming the conversation from the hallway.

Marcus dropped his head in agreement, rubbing his own tiring eyes.

"He won't talk about the day or the accident" he agreed. He glanced over at the pair before sighing, deciding it was better to ask than regret it later on.

"This might be nothing, but I noticed he won't go near Emily, hasn't picked her up or anything though he's quite happy to sit with Zach all day"

To confirm his point he raised a hand towards the sleeping captain and the protective arm he had around the shoulders of the little boy.

Seconds past as the room remained silent, the open ended admission leaving ample room for the truth "I shouldn't be telling you this"

Both men turned in surprise towards Nikki, watching her face contort as she struggled between the truth and the promise she had silently made to Kate.

"He and Kate haven't quite been telling us the whole story"

---

"I'm not seeing a counsellor" deadpanned Mike a few days later, glancing around at the crew. He had been surprised to see the majority of the sailors spill through the door to his hospital room that morning, along with Marcus and the kids.

"Sir, with all due respect, we really think you should" pleaded Nikki, grasping her hands together before her.

"All you have to do is see them once or twice, talk through what happened and you'll be out of there before you know it" informed Swain, nodding along in the hopes the captain would agree.

"I'm fine" glared the older man in response, causing the group to sigh collectively.

"I got hit by a car, not a hostage taker or a murder, a car" he continued, building up memento as the annoyance of the last few days bubbled over. "Happens to people all the time and they move on easily. I was hurt physically, not mentally, and the doctor says I can go home any day now"

"What do you mean not mentally" exploded ET, starring hard at the captain whose eyes widened in response. The young man swallowed, realising suddenly that the captain could see straight through him to the truth of the matter.

"Who told you?" he all but growled, sitting up straighter to stare around the room. No on dared move as Mike's heavy breathing filled the small area, packed tightly with nervous bodies all searching for an excuse.

"Me" answered Nikki quietly, meeting the captain's gaze weakly. "She told me though sir"

Mike sat back suddenly, receding into an inner shell created long ago to ward of all thoughts of those months five years ago with _her_.

"But sir" interrupted Nikki, surprising the people seated around her and the man seated on the bed whose life was slowly unravelling before their eyes "I think it's hurting her just as much as you"

Ice cold eyes meet Nikki's softer gaze as she swallowed nervously, wandering where she was getting the courage to say what she had been thinking for the past few weeks but knowing that either way it had to be heard. Two lives that she held dear where falling apart around her and the only way she knew to save them was to make them realise that the other was dealing with it too.

"She lost the baby as well Mike, and she lost you"

Mike's minds whirled dizzily around inside as he gripped the white sheet tightly.

"She knew" he spat out, starring at the woman across from him. Suddenly the room felt a million miles away and it was just he and Nikki, floating away as his mind compounded with the thoughts she was bringing to the surface.

"She knew about the baby, and didn't say a word to me. No matter how much it may have hurt her to lose us both, she was the one with the choice and she choose not to tell me"

He could hear his heart beat furiously in his chest as his throat turned dry from trying not to yell; tears were blaring at the backs of his eyelids but he beat them back furiously, not daring to let himself fall apart like that in front of the people that were supposed to look to him for leadership.

"Kate may know what its like to lose the people she loves but she'll never know what its like to be betrayed by them"

---

"He's falling apart" sighed Swain, swinging slowly on the child's playground the crew had wandered to after leaving the hospital. Only Marcus, Nikki and Josh had known the truth behind Mike and Kate's past, the reason for their behaviour the day Zach and Emily had been found and the terrible fate of their unborn child. The rest had been shocked by the confession of the man now trembling with tears in his hospital bed.

"What do we do?" asked Buffer, blinking to try and rid himself of the image of the captain, back to the crew as he shut down again. They had left the room quietly after that, silencing a protesting Zach who had tried to climb over to Mike for a hug.

"Someone needs to speak to both of them" nodded Charge, thinking for the first time of the XO's involvement in the scenario.

The rest of the story had been filled in by Marcus, Nikki and ET as the group sat dazed on the grass, the hospital rising formidably to their left while the ocean lapped calmly against the sand to their right.

"Someone professional" agreed Marcus, sitting down on the bench after returning from the car. He glanced around quickly, scanning the group for his son and daughter.

"Where's Zach and Emily?" he asked quickly, voice filled with sudden worry.

His dreams had still been filled with the dread of losing the two once more and the thought of them becoming lost now scared him more then anything.

"They were with you" pointed out ET, standing quickly to scan the park.  
"I thought they were with you" stated Marcus, already running around the play area.

"They can't have gone far" reasoned Nikki as the crew set out searching, calling both children's names and praying they had only wandered off, not been taken or worse, reclaimed by their mother.

Susan Graham had been found two days after Mike's accident, clinging to the oars of her dingy and threatening to run if she wasn't reunited with her children. Needless to say she had been taken in to custody and refused access to the kids; but each member of the Hammersley held a piece of the fear now gripping Marcus; that Susan had escaped.

"Wait" halted the man suddenly; slowing as his minds returned an ordered thought "He wanted to see Mike" he muttered, already sprinting towards the hospital.

"Mike" came a small voice from outside the door. The man slowly turned, drawing in a deep, shuddering breathe to calm the emotions raging inside his head.  
"Zach" he whispered dryly in reply, scaring the young child.

"You sound hurt" sniffled the little boy, pushing the heavy pram in through the doorway.

"I am Zach" was the only reply he received.

The little boy dawdled at the bedside before unstrapping his sister expertly, struggling to lift her up though and turn towards Mike.

"Emily gives good hugs" he mumbled from between the baby's blanket, holding her as high as he could for Mike to see.

The man gasped slightly as he heard the distressed cry of the baby girl, her little face screwing up in annoyance as Zach struggled under her weight.

Without thinking Mike reached down and took her in his arms, gasping in pain as the sudden movement upset his healing ribs and leg.

His insides turned to jelly as Emily's soft head lay sleepily against the terrified mans chest, squirming slightly before yawning and fluttering her tiny eyelids closed, settling back to sleep as she had been before being rudely awoken by her brother.

Mike watched enchanted as her hand batted against the rough fabric of his shirt, each tiny finger gripping into her fist tightly. He slowly lifted his own gangly finger towards her, burrowing it into her grasp and smiling as she gripped his finger firmly, surprising him with her strength.

He leant back slowly and, gently prying his finger free rested one hand on the fabric of her shirt to rub her back slowly, instinctively lulling the baby back to sleep.

"She's cuddly" breathed out Zach, happy to see Mike's face relax once more.

The man could only nod in agreement, letting the smile he had shunned moments earlier grace his tired face naturally.

His body tingled with the warmth radiating from the small soul snug against him, the rise and fall of her chest barely pressing against his own.

He tried to feel some sort of anger, any feeling of resentment because he had never been given the chance to feel this with his own child, but no feeling came; instead he calmed, breathing in slowly and hugging Zach closer to him.

"Why'd it all go wrong" he mumbled, glancing towards the ceiling. "We could have had this Katie, but we missed out" he mused. For the first time in over five years he let his mind wander towards that of the scared 23 year old who had just found out she'd fallen pregnant to a man 10 years her senior in both age and rank. He remembered his own life at 23; or rather he isolated the few instances when he could have thought himself responsible enough to even contemplate having a child.

"You were so young" he sighed, brushing at Emily's hair subconsciously "we could have done it, but we would have driven each other away within months" he realised suddenly.

"Mike" came the small voice of Zach, startling the man who thought the boy was asleep.

"You still love her a little bit, don't you?" he asked.

Mike drew in a deep breathe, inhaling the warm scent of Zach and Emily.

He nodded.


	8. Chapter 8

_She was wearing a white dress; I remember that much because I warned her that it would be ruined in the sand. _

_We'd spent the day out on the water, fishing maybe though we could have been just lazing around. We did that a lot back then, lazed around in each others arms on a quiet beach somewhere. She liked the…secrecy of it all; I just thought it was more romantic than sharing her with half of Darwin. _

_We'd pulled the boat up on some deserted beach, __and she wanted to eat but I'd forgotten to bring the food, so she stormed off to the other side of this tiny strip of sand and just stared at me, huffing. _

_It was hilarious and I was laughing my head off, which only made things worse. So, she picked up this god almighty stick from the middle of nowhere, and came charging at me with it, running with no shoes on, dress flying in the wind down the sand….and all I could do was laugh. _

_Somehow she stopped and heaved the thing onto the ground before crash tackling me into the sand and water, completely drenching the both of us. _

_S__he really looked gorgeous that day…_

_Later, we just lay in the sand, I was leaning against her chest and she was running her hands through my hair. She was teasing me because I had almost fallen asleep and I was trying to get her to tell me about England. That's where she was born. _

_All I got was cold and wet. _

_Kinda funny considering she'd pried half my life story from me before she'd even stayed the night. _

_To this day, whenever someone mentions Britain all I think of is cold and wet. And the look on her face as she said it; I could almost imagine the little pigtailed blondy that she must have been, rugged up in a million layers of clothing or skipping in her backyard and rattling on about some thing or another in a little British accent._

_Actually I tried to get her to do the accent one day; I can't even remember if it was before or after the day at the beach. She told me to get lost instead, well, to drop it. Then she hit me with the pillow and that was that. _

_We always seemed to end things like that; in pillow fights, god knows why. We're not exactly the pillow fights kind of people…_

_Well, other things followed the pillow fights but we don't need to go into that do we…_

_----_

Lucia Bronte smiled knowingly.

"So that was the last time you were truly happy?" she asked, watching the man before her carefully.

He squirmed slightly in his seat before nodding, mouth opening a little as he rethought his answer.

"The last time I felt safe" he nodded, furrowing an eyebrow.

"That's not exactly happy, but it's the time that always comes to mind" he replied finally.

"You didn't feel safe after Kate feel pregnant?" questioned Lucia, treading the invisible line between what Mike would tell her and what was still firmly enclosed in his heart.

He stared at her soundly, leaning over to move his plaster encased leg into a more comfortable position.

"I've felt safe; I feel safe most of the time"

"How about happy?" she asked slowly.

Mike sighed deeply "I was happy last night, watching the footy with Marcus, Zach and Emily" he replied cryptically, aware that he was evading the actual question.

His mind wondered to the three people currently sharing his apartment, partly so they had a roof over their heads while Marcus found a house and partly so that Mike wasn't left alone; a plan concocted by both the doctors and the crew.

"How about the day of the accident?" asked Lucia finally, gesturing to Mike's leg.

"Do you remember what happened?"

"I got hit by a car"

Lucia took a deep breath, wondering briefly if evasion replies where trade marks of all men or only the Navy.

She reminded herself gently that the man before her had recently been through hell, and part of her training included not judging a patient. In truth she could see the man clamp up before her and she only wanted to help him, a task made much harder when he dodged her every step of the way.

"You told me last time that you had just come from Kate's house, where you fought"

"Yes" nodded Mike in agreement.

"What was the fight about?"

A stony silence filled the room. Mike swallowed slowly, eyeing Lucia who sat comfortably in her seat; determine to win this small battle.

"I told her that I knew about the baby"

"_I always knew you liked your secrets Kate, but I never, never thought you'd keep them from me, not after everything" he finished with the same quiet, barren voice that sounded terribly like something out of a horror movie._

"That I'd followed her the day she went to the doctor"

"_Is she going to tell me?" he wondered briefly, his mind still trying to comprehended the long term meaning of his newly found knowledge, instead it had been concentrating on the fact that he had not been informed of it earlier. It was quite possible that she was seeking confirmation for what the tiny object, now on his lap, had already told her, and he would come home tonight to a home cooked, candle lit dinner during which she would (through tears and laughter) tell him of their impending arrival. Yet he knew this would not be the case._

"And then I left, I was so angry that I couldn't even finish talking to her, let alone hear her explanation"

"_She knew about the baby, and didn't say a word to me. No matter how much it may have hurt her to lose us both, she was the one with the choice and she chose not to tell me"  
He could hear his heart beat furiously in his chest as his throat turned dry from trying not to yell; tears were blaring at the backs of his eyelids but he beat them back furiously, not daring to let himself fall apart like that in front of the people that were supposed to look to him for leadership.  
"Kate may know what its like to lose the people she loves but she'll never know what its like to be betrayed by them"_

"Have you given her a chance to explain since?" asked Lucia, noticing a shift in the mans expression.

No longer was his face taught with grief or pain; memories of the past he'd like to have forgotten years ago. Instead his eyes had cleared and she noticed for the first time the brilliant blue that lay there, waiting to be set free.

"You know what the saddest thing is?" asked Mike suddenly, crossing his arms and staring out the psychologists window towards the sea.

"It took two kids for me to finally realise that she was a 23 year old facing a black mark on her career for being involved with me. She didn't not tell me to betray me, or to get back at me for something; she was just terrified of the consequences"

"A few days after I woke up, Zach asked me if she'd said sorry" started Mike, breathing deeply as he sought the words to explain what had been on his mind for the past two weeks.

"I know that she came to see me the night of the accident, Swain told me"

A troubled expression swept his rugged features and he lifted a hand to cover his mouth in thought.

"Somehow, god knows how, I think she did" he whispered, softly into the silence of the still room.

"How can I know that?" he asked, turning his turbulent blues on Lucia.

"I never answered Zach, but he told me that I should forgive her, especially if she loved me"

Lucia took a moment, letting Mike adjust to truths he had uncovered for the both of them.

"Do you still love her?"

Mike stared a while at the rough hands lying in his lap. He didn't dare turn towards Lucia, aware of her entranced gaze, instead he tried to run through every moment he had ever spent with Katline McGregor, searching for the hidden clue in the puzzle; the way out of the maze.

"After I ran from her house I saw a little girl crossing the road. She was four years old, maybe five, with little blonde pigtails and a skipping rope hanging in one hand. She had no idea of what was going on around her, instead she ran straight towards the house on the other side because her father ha just come home. Suddenly a car came out of no where, screeching round the corner and she just froze, right in the middle of the road. I ran towards her and somehow, I don't know how, pushed her out of the way. Instead the car hit me"

"You know what the last thing I can remember is?"

Lucia shook her head ever so softly.

"She looked exactly as I had imagined Kate would"


	9. Chapter 9

"Daddy, the bubbles are escaping!" laughed Zach, running after the floating orbs in the backyard.

"Well catch them squirt" replied Marcus with a grin, looking up from his paper. He watched as the little boy grasped and jumped towards the bubbles, spiling the bottle of mixture down his already filthy clothes, whilst Emily sat bouncing in her swing seat, giggling at her brother.

The man turned quickly as a knock resonated through the household, surprising him as he remembered Mike hobbling out the doorway earlier, informing the trio that he'd be out for at least two hours at the hospital.

"Don't go anywhere" he reminded Zach, picking up Emily to walk towards the front door.

The baby girl snuggled into his shoulder, shying away from the person who had interrupted the families play time as the door swung open.

"Can I help you?" asked Marcus, squinting against the harsh sunlight to make out the face of the woman standing in front of him.

Her hands were clutched tightly behind her back and as Marcus' eyes adjusted he noticed the slightly nervous tapping of her foot on the front veranda.

"Is Mike here?" she asked finally, eyes alert and searching behind him for any traces of the man.

Marcus watched as her gaze settled on Emily, brightening momentarily as the baby girl recognised her companion from weeks before.

"Kate" nodded the man in reply, remembering her face from the day of Mike's accident and forgetting to answer her question as he pondered what could suddenly have enticed her to visit after four weeks of avoidance.

An awkward silence fell around them and so he filled in the blanks "He's at the hospital"

"Just a check up" he added with a wave, noting the worried look that befell her face at the thought that something had happened.

"Would you like to come in?" asked Marcus finally, shifting Emily who was reaching out towards Kate, tiny fingers grasping at the air between them.

She looked up, startled by the invitation before nodding, smiling warmly for the first time since her arrival.

"Thank you" she nodded, taking Emily's hand between her fingers as the baby cooed; gummy grin relaxing the somewhat tense situation between the adults.

---

"How are the children?"

Marcus paused slowly on the back deck, watching Zach play happily in the grass before turning towards Kate.

"Good" he nodded, placing Emily down on the play mat. "They like it up here in the sun, and they keep Mike busy"

_And his mind off certain events _he added silently.

Kate lowered her head, avoiding Marcus unyielding gaze. Instead she bent down in front of Emily, smiling gently at the little girl.

"Hello Emily" she whispered "Do you remember me?"

"I do!" pronounced Zach proudly; surprising both adults "You looked after Emily on Mike's boat"

Kate smiled at the thought of the Hammersley being so; in truth when she thought of the Patrol Boat its captain was the first person who came to mind and not only because of their shared past.

Some would say that Mike Flynn encompassed The Hammersley, others would say he was married to it, and put simply by Zach; it truly did seem like 'Mike's Boat'.

_Well it had_pondered Kate, sighing at the thought of the bareness she had felt for the past month without the captain by her side.

"How are you Zach?" she asked, pushing it to the back of her mind to instead focus on the people in front of her.

"I'm making bubbles" nodded the boy, holding up the sticky mixture bottle for Kate to look at "Do you want to make some too?" he asked hopefully.

"Mate, Kate's here to see Mike, not blow bubbles" informed Marcus, ushering his son back onto the grass. He bent down to the boy's height before whispering something in his ear, quiet enough so that Kate was unable to decipher the message.

Marcus turned back towards the woman, positive that Zach would keep quiet until he had gotten to the bottom of her sudden appearance to see Mike.

"Coffee?" he asked brightly.

---

"I'll be in, in a moment" smiled Marcus apologetically, holding a squirming Emily in one arm as Kate nodded from the kitchen, settling herself on a stool behind the bench.

The clock on the wall hit three and chimed loudly, startling her already shaken thoughts as it had years ago.

"_Get rid of it" she growled, leaning as far over the bench as she could manage with her feet tucked underneath her on the stool. _

"_Never gorgeous" he grinned back, tapping her nose with the spatula in a move he knew would cost him later. _

"_It's not going until you do" _

"There should be some milk in the fridge if you want to get coffee started" yelled Marcus from Emily's room, straining to be heard over the baby's squealed attempts at rolling off the change table.

"Thanks" mumbled Kate in reply, sliding to the cool tiles and padding towards the pantry and fridge.

She grabbed the milk from the side door before peaking inside the pantry, grasping at her memory in the hopes that Mike hadn't changed his packing system over the past five years.

"You never had one" she smiled knowingly, looking over the mess that she assumed was the inhabitant's food sources for the next week.

She rummaged through the shelves, finally finding a half empty glass container of coffee seated next to the coco pops that she hoped had been picked out by Zach.

She turned suddenly, almost dropping the glass to the floor as Zach's laughter filled the backyard, the little boy screaming to be put down.

"Stop it" he giggled loudly, hanging from Mike's arms as the man half hobbled, half tickled the hysterical boy.

"I'll get you!" announced Zach definitely, barrelling into the mans good side in retaliation.

"Never" grinned Mike as he hopped away, dropping one of his crutches on the ground before the pair collapsed in a heap of laughter on the grass, broken leg forgotten momentarily.

Kate meanwhile stood at the kitchen window, watching the scene before her played out like a film reel. She tried to focus on Zach's face but the small blonde head blurred at the edges, resembling the little boy that had grown inside of her for three long months and that she had carried in her heart ever since, ageing within her imagination to look like the child that was trying unsuccessfully to lift Mike off the ground; the four year old boy she should have brought up try to lift his father off the ground.

She stepped back suddenly, gasping as she ran into the bench, body tingling violently.

She could feel her skin turn cold as she tried to tear her gaze away from the pair before her, both oblivious to her intrusion as she wiped clammy hands down the side of her clinging jeans.

_He's Marcus'__ son, not yours and definitely not Mike's _she reminded herself desperately, burying her head in her hands as she fell towards the floor, repeating the mantra over and over in an attempt to rid herself of the image she had longed for, for five long, lonely years.

The image of her family as it should have been.

---

"Kate?"

He whispered her name so softly that at first she didn't believe he could ever sound so delicate towards her again, not after their last meeting.

"Why are you here?"

Her hands recoiled from her face as his words stung her.

Why was she here?

She herself couldn't find an answer, only that it had been tearing her apart to listen to the crew discuss him each day, never knowing exactly how he was or whether he was truly improving as they had informed her.

"I couldn't do it any more" she whispered in reply, gently lifting her gaze towards his, warmth overwhelming her as she saw no trace of the venom that had been present in his eyes weeks earlier.

All that hatred, built up solely for her, had ripped her heart apart in the weeks following her breakdown by his side in hospital where she had bared her soul to him once and for all.

She wondered suddenly if she would ever be able to say those words again, or would they be saved for the next time one of them was so close to the brink of death, when no repercussions of their actions could appear; only the here and now.

Moments later she realised she was standing before him, seconds away from leaning against his strong chest and being wrapped in his arms once more.

Tears burned at the backs of her eyes as she realised that was all she wanted in the world, all she needed was to be safe with him again, and that was now impossible.

"I was so terrified that I had caused it" she whispered, running a hand over the space in front of his leg.

"No"

The conviction in his voice threatened to comfort her and so she closed her eyes, wanting the honey of his soft voice to fill her senses, even for a moment.

"Kate?" he whispered, leaning closer to rest a hand upon her shoulder.

Time skipped a second as she surged through his body once more, overpowering him as the feeling of her skin always had.

"Kate, it's over" he whispered finally, bring his palm up to rest against her cheek.

A lone tear trickled down the hollow of her face, coming to rest on his thumb and cooling him immediately.

"Why are you crying?" he murmured, pulling her a little closer to let his finger wander across her cheek.

She shuddered against his touch as his steady gaze bore into her soul, pulling from her any last attempts to fight as she surrendered to the realisation that she may have lost him for good.

Her mind and heart tugged at her achingly, one screaming at her that he had said it was over while the latter made her grip the front of his jacket between her fingers, rubbing them to keep her shaking body warm.

"Please don't cry" he whispered finally, his hand tangling itself in her messy hair before pulling her tight to his chest, holding her firmly there as the pair collapsed into each others arms, five long years of heartache pouring out through the feel of being connected to the other once more.

"I'm sorry" cried Kate against his shoulder, mumbling the words over and over, slowly bringing her lips to rest against his neck as he rocked her gently, salty drops of relief and pain and hope mingling with her own.

"Just please don't go; please promise me you'll never go"

Mike nodded strongly in reply, voice catching in his throat as tears spilled down his cheeks, the realisation that she wasn't lost overpowering him as the pair gripped tighter to each other.

---

From the back veranda, Marcus watched on with a sleepy Emily on his shoulder, Zach leaning heavily against his knee.

"I knew he loved her" smiled the little boy, looking towards his father who ruffled his hair affectionately.

The man nodded in agreement.

"Now only they have to realise"


	10. Chapter 10

"Are you sure the doctor won't mind you being out here?" questioned Kate, laying a hand upon Mike's shoulder as he drove the tinny up onto the shore.

"It's been two weeks Kate" reminded the man gently, smiling at her and flexing his leg to prove that it was fine; albeit a little stiff.

"The crew's missed you on board"

Mike laughed shortly at the statement, imaging the poor crew running scared from Captain McGregor "From what I heard you were a wonderful captain" he teased.

"Well of course" she nodded, serious features undermined by the slowly returning twinkle of her dark emerald eyes.

"But I'm not you" she reminded gently.

The pair smiled knowingly at each other, climbing out of the small metal boat and pulling with them a blanket, umbrella and picnic basket.

Mike watched amused as Kate stopped suddenly, taking in the sight of the small deserted beach.

"We've been here" she stated, turning towards him in surprise.

Mike nodded in agreement; glad that she remembered to save him the trouble of explaining why he had dragged her out at such an early hour.

Whilst the past month had provided the beginning of an era of healing between the pair, and they had spent many an evening talking over the events of the past five years, Mike was still a little anxious about where they stood and after much prompting from Marcus and the crew, as well as a few shouted words of encouragement from Zach, he had finally built up the courage to ask her out for lunch.

Any hope for the future lay in what he said today, and how she reacted.

"We came here once, you tried to massacre me with a stick" he deadpanned.

Kate looked at him oddly, making him reconsider the choice of opening sentence, before bursting out laughing, remembering the incident in all its glory.

"You forgot the food" she teased, pointing accusingly at him as scowled at the memory.

"But not this time" he smiled, holding up the picnic basket as proof.

Kate settled herself down on the blanket, patting the space between her to let a still Mike know he could join her.

"It's beautiful out here" she murmured, leaning back into the sunshine. Mike blinked slowly as her movement caught the rays streaming through the trees behind; flickering against her blonde locks and causing him to breathe in deeply.

"Mike?"

It took him a moment to realise he had been staring, oblivious to her movements afterwards.

"Are you still seeing your psychiatrist?"

The captain's brow crinkled slightly as he pondered the possible meaning behind the question. As far as he understood Kate hadn't known about his meetings with Lucia, only Swain had; leaving the rest of the crew to decide for themselves if they're bosses returning happiness had anything to do with him finally facing the past.

"Kind of" he replied, fiddling with the sides of the picnic blanket. He shuffled uncomfortably, partly unused to being seated cross legged on the sand; partly because of the tense hold he had on his legs, not daring to relax whilst Kate was so close by his side.

"I've gotten through most of what needed to be said" he explained as her eyes flickered in confusion.

"She wants to see me every few weeks though, just to make sure"

Kate nodded in understanding, glancing away from him finally so that he could relax. He thought back to the last time he had been so nervous around her, the day they had first met Zach and Emily onboard the _Hammersley_, when even the slightest mention of her name or the baby she held in her arms had made him feel sick and light headed.

"Do you ever think about what would have happened if the kids hadn't come on board?" asked Kate finally, not game enough to look towards him until he had spoken an answer.

"I have" he nodded slowly in reply "She asked me the same thing one afternoon"

Kate's silence reverberated between the pair, only broken by the flutter of a startled bird in the palms behind them.

"I'm glad we did meet them though" he finally whispered, afraid of her reaction. He opened his mouth to explain further, unsettled by Kate's stillness but before he could she nodded in agreement.

"I am too"

The mans eyes opened wider in surprise, understanding where Kate was coming from but startled that she was ready to discuss and even face it now; especially with him.

"It would have come out sooner or later, and the longer we left it the worse it would have been"

Mike reached a rough hand over the blanket to grab hold of Kate's own, her smooth skin tingling beneath his. He gently squeezed it in understanding, smiling sadly at her as she leant back into the sunshine once more.

"That afternoon, when I confronted you, I shouldn't have yelled" began Mike hesitantly.

"Yes, you should have"

Kate's voice startled him, causing him to pull back his hand slightly.

"You were right Mike, I betrayed you, and you had every right to be as angry as you did"

Before he could retaliate he noticed the pained expression on Kate's face and the struggle she had to hold back tears.

"You're wrong Kate" he murmured finally, catching her eye for the first time in minutes as she turned towards him.

"You had the choice to tell me about the baby, but you were 23 years old and having an affair with a man 10 years your age who could possibly ruin your career"

Mike drew a deep breath before continuing "I was a 33 year old who knew for as long as you did about the baby"

"Mike" interrupted Kate, trying to explain her behaviour.

"Kate I held just as much responsibility in the end because I didn't confront you"

He grabbed her hand tightly in his own, needing the feeling of calm that she brought to stop the anger and confusion bubbling through him once more; this time directed at his own self.

He drew in a sharp breathe as Kate's arm wound around his side suddenly, surprising him as she drew her head close to his heart; similarly craving the steady beat from his chest to assure her that they were both alive, both lying together in each others arms and finally moving on.

"We both made a mistake"

Her voice shook dangerously and before he could wipe the tears from her eyes they were trickling down onto his shirt, not great sobs like when he had confronted her, or the desperate tears of anguish as he lay before her in hospital; not the tears of remorse as they gripped each other tightly in his kitchen.

Instead these were the tears of the past mixed with the hope for the future because for the first time since he had followed her to the hospital those five long years ago, that was all that lay ahead for them.

The past was the past and whilst the memory of their child would remain with them for the rest of their lives, the pain that came along too would not haunt them anymore.

---

"Girl or boy?" he asked suddenly, whispering into her hair as she lay back against his chest, strong arms holding her to him.

"Boy" she nodded confidently "He'd be four years old now, and have your eyes and my hair"

"Zach" breathed out Mike, bringing a hand up to tangle itself in Kate's blonde locks.

He felt her nod slowly against his chest and suddenly understood why she had avoided both he and Zach that night.

"I guess it was as hard for you seeing me with him as it was for me" he acknowledged, tightening his hold on her "My image had always been of a baby"

"And seeing me with Emily reminded you" finished Kate, turning slightly to catch his eye.

The pair stared knowingly at each other a moment longer before Kate settled herself once more, both smiling softly despite the silence that had developed between them.

"What are we going to tell the crew?" asked Kate, aware that no actual 'relationship' had been formed but that the pair would never be the same two people that their friends had known.

Mike breathed out loudly in thought.

"We tell them the truth"

---

"Just one more push sweetheart, one more and its over" he encouraged, feeling his hand turn numb as his wife gripped it tightly.

He winced as she growled loudly at him, face contorting in pain as he tried desperately not to black out, peeping an eye open suddenly as a second of silence filled the room, startling him as the doctors face came into view.

"Congratulations"

The words was drowned out as the baby's cries reverberated loudly off the hospital walls, causing both parents to near collapse with relief.

"It's a girl"

The doctor wrapped the baby tightly before waving the man over to take a look at his daughter. His breathe caught in his throat as he peered terrified down at tiny red face between the blankets.

"How is she?" asked his wife from behind, voice faltering with exhaustion and emotion.

Her husband could only grin widely at her, leaning closer to press a kiss to her forehead.

"She's beautiful, perfect" he breathed out, sharing with her a smile.

"I love you" he whispered.

---

"Hello?"

Mike peeked his head around the hospital door, smiling at the woman leaning back against the pillows and the baby girl wrapped tightly in her arms.

He stepped into the room and made his way towards the bed, peering down at the tiny face before grinning "She's beautiful Chris, Sally" he congratulated, shaking the beaming fathers hand.

"We did well, didn't we sir" smiled the medic, running a protective hand across his daughters forehead.

"You did" agreed Mike, watching his friend smile down at the baby "Does she have a name?"

"Chloe" murmured Sally, as enamoured with the little girl as Swain was.

"Chloe Blake" smiled Mike, letting the name roll around in his head.

"Would you like to hold her?" asked Swain suddenly, surprising both Mike and Sally.

The captain nodded, holding his arms out steadily from two months worth of babysitting Emily.

He couldn't help but laugh slightly as the gentle weight of the newborn filled his arms, the baby squirming ever so softly as her environment changed from her mother to her father's friend.

"Can I come in?" whispered Kate from the doorway, stepping inside gently.

"Ma'am, this is Chloe" beamed Chris proudly, sharing a look with Sally as Kate stood next to Mike, peering into his arms down at the baby girl.

"She's gorgeous" gasped Kate, smiling up at Mike before glancing over at the baby's parents "Congratulations, both of you"

Swain and Sally watched as Kate all but leaned against Mike's shoulder, any hint of the pain that the new parents had been worried would reappear at the sight of the newborn, far from both the captain and his second in commands mind.

"I guess they truly have moved on" whispered Chris against Sally's forehead, leaning in for a kiss.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" asked Mike, allowing Kate to take the sleepy baby from his arms.

"I threatened them with my power to get in here" she smiled.

Mike laughed knowingly, mind wandering back to the few skirmishes that had occurred over the past few weeks upon his return to captaincy, where Kate had, had to learn to be second in command once more.

"They're waiting outside the window though" she added, nodding towards the closed curtain.

Swain smiled brightly as he opened the curtain up, only to be met with the beaming faces of his friends and crewmates. Charge and Spider along with Chefo and Jen, the crews newest member Bomber stood next to Robert and beside them ET was laughing at a squealing Nikki. Buffer, Chloe's godfather, stepped through the door and took the baby into his arms, smiling at both Mike and Kate knowingly before turning towards the window to show off the little girl.

Mike couldn't help but grin as Zach's little head bounced up and down, trying to get a look as Marcus held a growing Emily up, the now 8 month old giggling at the sight of another baby.

From behind the window Marcus winked at Mike, motioning his head towards Kate as the captains grin turned confused.

The man raised his eyebrows knowingly, laughing as Mike's own eyes opened in realisation, alarmed at the thought that someone else knew how he felt about Kate.

"Ask her" mouthed Marcus, picking up Zach to allow him to point not so subtly towards Kate.

Mike all but growled at them "Fine" he mouthed back, turning towards Kate who was staring at him knowingly.

"You wanted to ask me something?" she teased.

Mike could only smirk as he leant down and whispered in her ear.


	11. Epilouge

"Pelican!" yelled Emily, chasing after the giant white bird as it sped away from her in the park, taking flight before the three year old could catch it.

"Emily, there's ducks" pointed Zach, the seven year old accustomed to the look on his sisters face moments before tears and wanting to avoid them.

"Where?" asked the little girl, her wide eyes peering around the park before brightening.

"Hammersley's coming in" called Kate, waving both the children over. Zach bounced up happily, sprinting towards Kate as Emily tottered between following her brother and playing with her new quacking friends.

"Come on Emily" called Kate, leaning down to pick up the still child.

The little girl squealed in annoyance before her attention was caught by the incoming grey boat.

"Mike!" she called, pointing a chubby finger towards it.

"Do you think they met pirates this time?" bounced Zach, grabbing hold of Kate's hand as she led the children down the pier.

"Or, bandits with swords!"

Kate chuckled at the stories the little boy had decided made up Mike's daily life onboard the patrol boat.

"Drug smugglers more likely" she muttered, gripping the child's hand tighter so that he wouldn't disappear.

"Huh?" he asked, face contorting in confusion.

"Nothing" smiled Kate, aware that Marcus probably wanted the issues of boarder security saved for when the child was a little older.

She needn't have worried though as Zach was already babbling on about the possibilities of Mike taking on 7 swashbuckling pirates whilst a giant octopus tried to eat poor Spider.

---

"Chloe, stop squirming" commanded Sally, trying to grasp hold of the toddler who was hanging from her arms.

Emily, getting the same idea, tried to swing out of Kate's, pushing against her shoulder to escape.

"Looking forward to this" teased Sally pointing at the toddlers and looking over at Jen who held her sleeping 3 month old daughter, Phoebe, in her arms.

"As long as I get a good nights sleep" she smiled, causing all three women to laugh.

"So, Marcus will pick them up around 5?" asked Sally, nodding towards Zach and Emily who were coming home with her when the Hammersley docked.

"That's what he said, but you know men, the never arrive when they say they will" agreed Kate "Thankyou for this" she nodded, grateful for Sally's babysitting.

"I promised Marcus I'd watch them ages ago, but this was the only time I could make the booking" she explained further.

"Where exactly are you going?" asked Sally, hoping to be let in on the secret Kate had been carrying for the past week.

The woman only smiled in response "You'll see"

"Mike!" squealed Emily happily, watching the man all but run down the ramp off the Hammersley; surprising the people on the pier as he was usually the last of the ship.

Standing in his civvies he tried to salute and wave the rest of the crew off as quick as possible, wishing them a good weekend whilst glancing around the pier nervously every few seconds.

"You okay sir?" asked Buffer, watching with amusement as Mike all but pushed a dawdling Spider down and off the ramp.

"Yep, just want to get out of here" grinned Mike, seeing no reason in lying.

The crew watched with amusement as Mike visibly sighed with relief, watching the last of his men leave the boat.

"Have a good weekend" he called to them all, jogging down the pier.

"Mike" called Zach, grabbing onto the man's leg. He stopped suddenly as Emily claimed the other, grinning despite his desperate wishes to leave as soon as possible.

"Hi squirt" he laughed, throwing Emily into the air before grabbing her, placing her on his hip as Zach bounced along by his side, asking about his day.

"Did you see any pirates?"

"No pirates mate, but there were a few ninja's" he grinned, wondering if he was allowed to describe four drug smuggling, almost hostage taking men as the child would a teenage mutant turtle.

"Wow" gasped Zach, stopping suddenly "Did you beat them?"

"We sure did bud" nodded Mike seriously, eyes dancing.

"I saw ducks" announced Emily proudly, straining on Mike's shoulder to see her feathered friends again.

"Did you!" exclaimed Mike, looking at the three year old who nodded solemnly in reply.

"They flew!"

"I'm sure they did" he laughed, well aware of Emily's track record with scaring unsuspecting birdlife; even if it was unintentional.

Kate, from her position further down, smiled contently at the sight of Mike with Zach and Emily, her hand coming to rest subconsciously on her own flat stomach.

"Hi" she smiled shyly as the trio reached her.

Mike sighed, relieved to have finally reached her and overwhelmed by the sight of her stood before him.

"Hi" he managed to grin back.

"Well, Zach and Emily, you two are with me" announced Sally, tying to untangle the firm grasp Emily had on Mike's shoulder.

"I'll see you two tonight at my place" nodded Mike, handing Emily over and leaning down to Zach's level.

"First I have to take Kate out" he grinned knowingly at the boy.

Zach giggled in reply, hushing Emily and waving at the pair "Have a good time" he called.

"So, you ready?" asked Mike, leaning in to grab Kate's hand.

---

"Are you nervous?" asked Kate, squeezing Mike's arm.

The pale faced man nodded in agreement, eyes wide as he tried to calm his rapidly beating heart.

"We've only been waiting 8 years" he smiled. He jumped as the door swung open, revealing a middle aged woman with brown hair and glasses hanging from her nose.

"Kate?" she asked, smiling as the pair nodded.

"And you are?" she asked, glancing warmly at Mike.

"Mike Flynn" he greeted, holding a hand out to shake.

"And is this your first time here?" asked the woman, glancing between the two.

"My first time, not Kate's" answered Mike, gripping her left hand tighter. The ring on her finger dug lightly into his and he couldn't help but smile at the warmth he felt knowing it was there.

"Well, let's get started then" smiled the woman.

A few minutes later she glanced up from the screen she had been staring at, watching the concentrated look of nerves covering both Mike and Kate's face.

The pair glanced towards each other, smiling shyly as the woman turned the screen towards them.

Mike felt the tears rising as the little blob on the screen came into view, Kate's hold on his hand tightening as she gasped in joy.

"There's your baby"


End file.
